Bi Ming

Author’s Afterword

At last, I have finished my first novel for the 明日文庫 imprint.

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For readers who have long supported the publisher’s compact and pocket-sized books, the name Benny B.M. may be unfamiliar. Those who follow the 名家 series, however, may already know me as the author of the 靈異出版社 series. I have published five novels with 明日工作室: 《畸羅之眼》, Pact of the Unborn, 《別殺我媽媽》, 《恐怖病‧失蹤》 and 《鬼界夢劫》.

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As a Hong Kong writer publishing overseas, I can hardly believe that almost two years have passed since I joined the 明日工作室 family. The trust shown in me by 叔慧姐, 令葳, 君宇 and my other colleagues has allowed me to get to know Taiwan’s horror publishing scene at close quarters. It has also given me the pleasure of meeting many warm, delightful Taiwanese readers who love books.

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I feel incredibly fortunate.

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Ever since attending the Taipei International Book Exhibition in 2013, I have wrestled with the same question whenever I begin planning a novel: should I write about subjects closer to Taiwanese readers’ everyday lives, giving them more to identify with? Or should I set my stories in Hong Kong, taking readers through the terrors of this small island?

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After I finished the 靈異出版社 series and received an invitation from 明日工作室 to write a novel for its pocket-sized imprint, that question returned. Following several discussions with my editor, I decided to make Hong Kong’s university ghost legends my first gift to this new readership.

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But I could not simply retell stories such as “The Girl with the Braids at the Chinese University of Hong Kong”, “The Female Ghost in the University of Hong Kong’s Lotus Pond” or “The Girl Who Weeps at Midnight at City University”. Anyone can open a browser such as Google Chrome or Safari, type in a few keywords and find these urban legends.

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As a novelist who loves creating stories, I could not accept publishing them without first transforming them into something new. That would let down the readers who leave messages online every night to encourage me.

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After much thought, this novel took shape.

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In The Haunted Campus, I have stayed true to my approach to writing: using university urban legends to explore the darker side of human nature. At the same time, I have tried my hardest to build an entirely new story around their strangest and most terrifying images. The novel moves between Hong Kong and Taiwan, and I hope you enjoy that setting.

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Whenever I publish a novel, I do so knowing it could be my last. I cannot know whether the market—or my readers—will give me another opportunity to write. This is now my twenty-fourth novel published across Hong Kong and Taiwan. I hope I will be granted a twenty-fifth, a twenty-sixth… and the chance to keep writing.

Thank you for supporting this book.

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If you enjoy it, please consider introducing it to your classmates and friends.

One final note: the protagonist of The Haunted Campus, Au-yeung Kim-kei, previously appeared in Pact of the Unborn, part of the 靈異出版社 series published under the 明日名家 imprint. Certain events in this book also fill in gaps left by that earlier novel—a small gift to readers who supported it.

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Let us promise to meet again in my next book.

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And perhaps we can meet sooner: search for “畢名” on Facebook, where you can chat with me on my page and become a friend.

Chris Chan · Reader from Hong Kong

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The story opens with Benny’s familiar suspense, then plunges straight into its first climax just as I begin to relax. I really had to take a deep breath!

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My first pleasant surprise was the protagonist, Au-yeung Kim-kei, who twice “gasps in shock”. It reminded me of a stand-up comedy routine—perhaps intentionally, perhaps not! An amusing touch.

Whenever I read Benny’s work, I find myself keeping mental notes. This time, there were eight people, so I kept track of how each met their fate and counted them. I could account for only seven! Chow Tsz-ying was the missing one—all I knew was that she had entered the laboratory. That was my conclusion after reading the book three times. Perhaps every writer dreads an obsessive reader like me!

The second surprise was the inclusion of current affairs and politics. Few novels bring these in, and those that do usually touch on them only indirectly, rather than so openly.

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The eeriest moments in Benny’s work always come just before the ending. Here, it was the revelation of what happened to the eighth victim. Brilliant! It also brought me out in a cold sweat. I had visited someone in a nearby hospital earlier that year, and the scene brought those memories back. Pure coincidence—but deeply unnerving!

江怡慧 · Reader from Taiwan

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By Chapter Two, I had already decided to keep supporting your work. For me, responding to a writing style is instinctive: if I like it, I like it. Different writers can take the same material and make it feel entirely different. Benny’s writing happens to be exactly the kind I enjoy.

Although the pace is very tight, the story never feels disjointed. Every detail is handled beautifully, and the scenes leave a vivid impression.

I had planned to finish it in one sitting, but it had been a long time since a horror novel made my scalp tingle like this! I have been reading horror novels from 明日工作室 since my second year of junior high, and I am now in my final year of senior high.

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Even sitting alone in my room with music playing, I kept breaking out in goosebumps. The scenes were simply too vivid! I had to close the book for a while—or I might not have slept well that night! XD